Jiminy Cricket
by acme54
Summary: The Winchesters and Morgans have history. Wee!Winchester and Wee!Morgan story. John and Harry are old friends.
1. Fathers talk

The men folks were drinking beer at the picnic table. There were four at the side of the Motel's pool. It was cleaner than most. Empty but for two families. They had booked the place out for the weekend. Harry hadn't asked John whose money was paying for it. What he didn't know, would keep his friend out of jail, for now.

Doris, Debs and Sammy were slowly turning themselves brown on the sun loungers.  
Dex and Dean had been sent to clean the cars. Though, both fathers knew their sons had finished a long time ago, they didn't chase them up. They needed a bit of time. Talk shop.

"You ain't gonna like this Harry" John put his beer to one side. It sweated in the late afternoon sun.  
Harry took a swig of his bottle. "I've heard a few things I don't want to hear today. Just tell me"  
"He isn't possessed." straight to the point.  
"Right" Harry tensed up more. He was processing too much bad news today.  
"He ain't a monster. Fully human. Just not where it counts"

They sat in silence for a few minutes. Only coming out of their thoughts when they heard Debs and Sammy yelping towards the pool. Sammy went in first and the girl dove in after. Trying to keep up or even beat the boy to the other end.

"It got in too early" Harry whispered. Looking towards his wife.

"Are you going to tell her?" John pointed towards Harry's wife.  
"She knows the boy is damaged. Just not how much. It would kill her" Harry let out a little ironic laugh. Sadness and loss.

John watched as the man in front of him started to crack. Most of those cracks would never heal.

"All we can do is damage control" John borrowed a phrase from his commanding officer in the Marines.

"What?"  
"Give him a purpose. An outlet."

"What? Ghosts? Werewolf s? Sweep up the last of your bloodsucking buddies?" Harry spluttered. "No offence John, that ain't no life for a kid." Harry's father had been a hunter. His mother stopped that life after his father had died on a hunt.  
"It's not." John admitted. "But if you leave him to his own devices and it won't be the neighbour's cat. It'll be the neighbour. Or Debby." John looked to the kids in the pool. Debs had pulled herself out on to the side and was splashing Sammy. "He would only feel guilt later on. On that day he wants to get caught. Knowing it's wrong. He still won't feel it. Innocents will die."  
"Don't you think I know. I see it every day." Harry raised his voice. Debs looked over. He struggled to look more relaxed then he was. "Those scum" he forced through his teeth, "should have been killed before they got the chance to spread their misery."  
"They could have been Dex. I know you wanted him to be cured by a exorcism." John opened another two beers and slid one over to Harry. "He needs a code. Basic training. Maybe keep him long enough to let him find a way. A hunt that won't end in lethal injection"

"People find hunting in two ways. Born to it or find it in blood." Harry gripped the bottle so tightly, he didn't know how it didn't break. He downed half the beer in one go. The sting taking some of the lump from his throat.  
"Maybe there is another way, Harry. You've seen where this is going. I could..." John's eye held a steely silent deadly promise.

Harry slammed the bottle down on the table. It skittle d off to the ground. Leaking amber liquid on the concrete below. "Finish. That. Sentence. Winchester"

"Sorry. Detective Morgan." John saw enough fire in the other man's eyes to let the ice in his melt away. Harry looked up to see Dean and Dex coming round the side of the building. Dean was good with Dex. He seemed to be able explain things in a way the other young man could understand.

"You couldn't. I know you couldn't. Same way I couldn't" Harry reached over for John's beer, toasted him and drank it down.  
"Yeah." John smiled a weary smile. "Someone will pay the price because of that"

"What can I do John?" Harry almost begged his friend for an answer.  
"Spend some time with your kids Harry." John looked over. They were all in the pool now. Sammy and Debs were back to racing. Dean was explaining something to Dexter. Dexter's head was cocked over to the side. Glancing at the race, back to Dean and nodding.

"You are very Zen." Harry's fire was dampened down enough to be thinking rather than reacting again.  
"Too much time with Jim." John glanced heavenwards as he did every time he mentioned the pastor's name. Harry smiled. "Not enough answers. Not the ones I want to hear." He looked over to the pool again. "The nearest he got, was when he said to me, sometimes the world moves too fast. There is never enough time to prepare them for real life. Ugly, violent, amazing. You just gotta do your best."

"Bulllshit!" Harry's youngest voice echoed off the walls and into the trees beyond.  
"Deborah Morgan! You mind your language!" Dorris stirred from the lounger.  
"But it is Mom!" Debs whined.  
"We do not use language like that" her Mom lectured.  
"Dad does." the girl pointed at her Dad.

"Well. Your Father, is a bad influence." She got up and winced a little. She made her way to where her husband sat.  
"Hey! Sitting right here!" Harry put his arm gently round his wife's waist and drew her to him.  
"See. Now you can find a place to look and see what not to do" she dropped a kiss on his forehead.

"John! Save me from this character assassination" he looked to his friend for help  
"I'm not that brave. Admit defeat. Go quietly" John reached for another beer.  
"Never!" he let Dorris slip from him.

Debs pulled herself out of the water and grabbed a nearby towel. Hanging her head over the pool, she wrapped her hair in a knot in it. She mouthed "bullshit" and smiled at Sammy.  
Sammy put his finger and thumb in the shape of a L on his forehead. "Looooser" he grinned back and splashed some water at her. He turned and started swimming steady lengths of the pool.

Dexter watched as his sister went over to the adults and stood by Dad, saying something that made him smile and Mom shake her head.

"Dex! Get over here and protect me from these women!" Dad waved at him.

Dex looked puzzled. Dean wondered if the missing piece of this guy didn't connect straight to that expression. Maybe the wind had changed and it really was stuck that way.

"It's called humour Dex. He doesn't mean it. Go over and sit by your Mother. Stick your tongue out at your Dad." Dean ran his hand through his hair.  
"Isn't that disrespectful?" Dex asked..  
"Very. It also makes your Mother and sister feel you are on their side. Your Dad will approve. A bond in jest." He put his hand on Dexter's arm.  
They had practised this. Dexter put a smile on his face and brushed the hand off him. A simple movement. Dean said, start small and don't get frustrated."People are crazy"

"When you are right, you are right." Dean shoved Dexter towards his family.


	2. Car wash

"You are driving me insane" John scrubbed his hand over his face. He had been trying to read the same paragraph for the last hour.  
"Sorry Mr Winchester" Dexter looked up from the sofa. Dean had been explaining to Dexter, in great detail, why Superman was better than the Incredible Hulk.  
"Go do something useful. Wash the car" John rubbed the bridge of his nose. Why he had agreed to look after all the kids, he didn't know. Sammy and Debs were being suspiciously quiet in the bedroom. Dean had been educating a future killer with comic books. Life was strange.  
"Yes Sir" Dean put the comic back in his bag. "Come on Dex"  
"Why?"  
"You got better plans?" Dean asked.  
"No"  
"Then fill the bucket, under the sink with warm, not hot, water." Dean pointed towards the kitchen. He took off the over shirt he was wearing and tossed it behind him on to the sofa.

"Batman" John said.  
"What?" Dean stopped in his tracks.  
"Batman would kick both of them into next week"  
Dean's mouth dropped open a bit. He shook his head and went to help Dexter.  
"Adam West, not Michael Keaton" John went back to reading the book.

* * *

Half the Impala was covered in suds.  
Dean was methodically cleaning the boot. He looked at Dexter pawing at the front drivers door. His body was there, his mind elsewhere. Dean's mental alarm bells were ringing full blast now. He kept it from reaching his face. This kid scared him. "You missed a bit over there Dex"  
Dex was three years older, but Dean thought of him as younger. He was a small animal learning to walk. A tiger, who hadn't found how sharp his claws were yet.

"It's only going to get dirty again"  
"Not the point"  
"What is?" he asked.  
"You have to look after things. It's what you do. Blend in. Take a little pride." Dean looked at the blank look on Dex's face. "Or at least show total un-interest. You can earn point with people by sharing their dislikes."  
"Don't you have to like things other people like?" Dexter was puzzled again. The bells in Dean's head turned back to a niggle. He was asking questions, maybe there was something he could do with him.  
He smiled, "You'll get no where doing that. Suck up!" Dean teased.  
"Okay" Dexter nodded.  
"Dex. You have to hear, but not agree with me every time." Dean pointed out.  
"Okay" he was back into his own world again.  
Dean took a second to think, "What would you do if someone at your school called you a suck up?"  
"I wouldn't care" Dexter said.  
"You don't have to care, you need to react like you do. You are a teenage boy. " Dean said like it explained every thing. "Look, I said it in a jokey way, what if I said it like this" Dean threw the sponge back in the bucket, stepped to close to the other boy. "Suck up" he challenged.  
Dexter didn't like this. He lunged at Dean. Dean dodged out of the way.  
"You have a problem now. I've used words and you've started by trying to hurt me. You were half right"  
"Should I have hit you?" Dexter asked.  
"Not yet. You have a few more things to try. It's like trial and error. At some point you'll figure out the right response. I've started with words. Come here." Dean moved them back to where they were.  
Stepping a little closer, he growled again "Suck up!"  
"No, I'm not"  
"Yes you are. Sissy suck up!" Dean didn't touch Dexter.  
Dexter push Dean away. Knocking him over.  
"Ow! Dude!"  
Dexter towered over Dean. His eyes promised hurtful things, maybe worse.  
Dean looked up, bells again. "Time out Dude"  
"What?" Dexter stopped.  
"Once they are down, you stop too."  
Dexter tried to put it together in his head. It made no sense to him.  
"It's time for an instant replay. You have just got detention for fighting. I've just got you on the school's radar by calling you a name. You are not this stupid Dex."  
Dexter stepped back and thought for a second. Dean sat back and looked up expectantly.  
"There are two ways to play this. Before the teacher comes over and you get in trouble. I've got you to push me by pushing your buttons. You can leave me here or you can offer me a hand and an insult."  
Dexter was still thinking it through. He steadily took a look around him.  
"Ding ding. Too late. You are detained and have another day to play this very same game."  
"But you went to fast" he started.  
"Life moves fast. You have to practice. It's like anything else. The more you do it the better you get. Think of it as a dance. The music plays, you move. It stops long enough, you think what might be next."  
"Okay"  
"Start small. Lets try another dance" Dean got up. He brushed the dust from his jeans. He stood squarely on to Dexter and put his hand on Dexter's left arm. He waited. Then smiled. "Hiya Dex"  
"Hello" Dexter stood, not doing anything.  
A minute passed and Dean started to feel uncomfortable. He moved his hand on to Dexter's arm again "All right Dexter, how it hanging?"  
"How is what hanging?" the boy answered, confused.  
"For gods sake Dex!" he put his hand on his face, "This is simple greeting 101." he shook himself, "Right. Tell me what I just did?"  
"You said hello, put your hand on me and asked about hanging" Dexter listed.  
"You need to tell me hello in return!"  
"I did!"  
"No. Dude, you need to mimic something I've done." Dean counted on his fingers, "The tone of my voice or an action. How you do it depends on how well you know me. Get it?" he asked.  
"No" he shook his head.  
Dean grumbled and threw his hands in the air. "Son of a bitch"  
Dexter was concerned. Had he lost another friend? "Show me again"  
"Sorry. I am not doing this right. One of the reasons you shouldn't listen to me. Rule one, don't get frustrated." Dean looked at Dex. "Do what I did"  
Dexter put a smile on his face. "Hello Dean" He gripped Dean's arm.  
"Loosen the grip a little there, Dude" Dean rubbed his arm. "kind of need the circulation"  
Dexter sighed "I can't do it Dean"  
"Yes you can. The smile was dead on Dude. Try again"  
"Hello Dean" his hand went to Dean's arm.  
"Hi Dex" Dean put his hand to Dex's arm. Knocking Dex's off his. Dex watched. Wondering if he should put his hand back. "Dex, look at me, not my hand. Did you see what I did?"  
"Yes"  
"Try it. Hiya Dex" Dean's hand went to Dexter's arm.  
Dexter smiled. "Dean! Good to see you" he moved his arm to Dean's knocking the hand off. He made eye contact and Dean grinned.

"'Atta boy"  
Dexter looked a little proud.

"Now, wash the soap off, or it'll dry wrong" Dean went back to scrubbing the car.


	3. Cooking Lunch

Doris was buzzing about the kitchen. She looked like she was afraid to stop. Just in case she could never start again. He poured a glass of ice tea and handed it to her on her next pass of the kitchen. She thanked him with a nod. John turned to look out the kitchen window to the parking lot. Dean was smirking up at a confused looking Dexter.

"He is a good kid" Doris pointed at Dean.

" Yeah." John took the skin off the potato in his hand in one strip. "Dex is intense, isn't he? He heading to university next year?" he asked.

"He could go to any university. Smart boy. He wants to be close to home. Dex, well, he is like his Dad. Lots going on up here" she pointed to her head "and here" her hand moved over her heart.

"He just doesn't let people in" John said, pausing peeling the potato in his hand.

"Must be a cop thing" Doris shrugged.

"Man thing" John informed her.

"Figures" she perched on a stool at the counter, sipping her drink.

He cleared his throat, looked back at the frail woman. She had been ill for nearly a year now. But had only just got the worst news. She wouldn't see another winter.

She sat at the counter with her drink. Letting out a little of the weariness she had been hiding.

A chicken cooked in the oven. Every now and again John got a wave of the smell of it cooking.

Doris stopped mid sip and grinned, as she heard his stomach rumbling. "When was the last time you had a home cooked meal?" she asked.

"April? No, May. Bobby's road kill special"

"Sounds lovely"

"So long as you don't think too much about, what it was that the road killed, Yeah"

John waved to Harry as he came in the door. "Hi Harry"

"John"

"Can you tell the kids, lunch in half an hour?" Doris asked her husband.

"Sure. Where's Debby?"

John pointed towards the bedroom. Harry nodded and went towards the door.

Doris met John's eyes"We're telling the kids tomorrow. About, well you know"

"I know." John nodded. "I'm gonna take the boys out for the day. Give you some time"

"You don't have to"

"No. You don't need virtual strangers intruding. We'll be out all day."

"Thank you John."

"What for?"

"Being a good friend. Harry's going to need one" she looked down at her hands. "His cop family will watch out for him."

"They do like a good wake. Your kids will have home cooked meals for years" John picked up the potatoes and tumbled them into the pan of boiling water.

Doris let out a little chuckle. Something about being able to talk about the aftermath of her death was comforting. "Camilla, friend of the family, has already promised to make Debby as big as a house"  
"Maybe a doll house. She is smaller than my little man."

"He'll shoot up like a weed that one."

"Probably" John couldn't imagine him grown up. Their lifestyle, he might not live that long. That scared John, more than anything. Life was full of if, buts and maybes. He was keeping his children safe with what he did.

"I know you will be out hunting, but could you look in on them? Just once."

John swallowed a lump in his throat. "Yeah. I'll look in on them."

She put her finished glass in the sink, ready for washing later.


	4. chpt4

Harry stood outside the door, listening before he opened it. Another cop habit. If Doris or Debs caught him, he would never hear the end of it.

"My Dad is a super hero"

"Mine too"

A lump formed in Harry's throat.

"He stops bad guys hurting people."

"Mine too"

Harry knew he should stop listening. His Mother had warned him that eves dropping meant hearing things you didn't want to hear.

"He spends a lot of time at work."

There it was. Harry sighed.

"Mine too"

"My brother looks after me" Sammy's voice was slightly squeaky.

"Mom looks after me and Dexter." Debby saw a sadness flicker across her friend's face. "Dex looks after me some Friday nights"

"I was in the school play last month" Sammy informed his friend.

"I took trumpet lessons. Twice. The teacher wanted to know if I was strangling it on purpose" Debby grinned.

"I tried out for baseball, but Dad moved us before the first game." Sammy remembered the event with some bitterness.

"Baseball is stupid" Debs decided.

"Yeah" Sammy smiled.

There was a knock at the door, Harry stuck his head in. "Lunch in half hour. Get washed up kids"

"Okay Dad"

"Yes Mr Morgan"

Dean stood back to admire the shining car. He stretched out his back and neck. He whispered to Dex, "First thing you gotta learn. Getting away with murder" Dean cursed his choice of words. "Not literary Dex." Dean walked round the Impala with the hose pipe. Washing down the tires.

"Is he watching?" he said, without looking at the kitchen window.

"Who?"

"My Dad"

"He's talking to Mom" Dex looked right at the window.

"Good." Dean aimed the hose at the other car's tires. Then up to the windows. "Pass me the bucket"

Dexter handed Dean the bucket. Dean proceeded to empty the bucket under the car.

"It now smells and looks like we have washed that car too."

"Why?"

"When you are asked to do something, do it right. You get noticed in a bad way if there is something unsaid not done. Dad would only get us to do the other one, next time we drive him insane. In about 3.5 seconds"

Dexter thought about it. "Being noticed is bad."

"It depends on the notice" Dean smiled. "I once sang to this girl, red head. Big hair. Neighbouring rooms threw their shoes at me, but she well." Dean worked a thumb into his collar. "Wow. She … I'll tell you when you're older"

"I am older"

"Yeah. What were we asked to do?" Dean changed the subject.

"Wash the car and stop driving your Dad insane. But we did clean the car."

"I like the car"

Harry walked over to the boys, handed them each a bottle of soda. They thanked him and both took a long drink. Harry came past and examined his car. "Great job Dex!"

"But.." Dexter started.

"No problem Mr Morgan" Dean put his arm around Dex. "It's quicker with two"

"Dean?"

"Yes sir?" Dean answered.

"After lunch," Harry pointed at his car. "Wash the car"

Dean dropped his hand off Dexter's shoulder. "Fair cop" he held his hands out for handcuffs.

Harry laughed and put his own hands over Dean's. "I'll let you off with a warning this time."

Dex watched the two of them. They seemed to be speaking a different language than he understood.

He shook his finger at Dean and turned to Dex "Dex, do you know where he went wrong?"

Dean glanced over. "Dude. I had to try to get away with something because I am a criminal. Your Dad is a good cop. He had to let me know he had spotted my mistake. If you do what is expected of you, you don't get noticed."

"What mistake? I thought we were getting away with murder?" Dex asked

Harry gave Dean a startled look. Had it been wise letting Dean spend time with Dex?

"Poor choice of words." Dean's posture straightened. Harry relaxed a little, Dean was of good people, he had been spending too much time with real criminals. He had forgotten the grey areas he had lived in when he was Dean's age.

"Come here son" he waved him over to the other side of the car. Dean and Dexter walked over. "Crime scenes are 360 degrees."

Dean had only washed down the side of the car he was standing at. From the other side you could see the dust on the tires.

"You see?" Harry asked.

"Yeah"

Harry ruffled his Dex's hair. A familiar action. Dean smiled a little. He knew why the Morgans and Winchesters had met this week. It wasn't just old friends catching up. They were solid. Dean had seen a lot of families dealing with grief. Some made it, some didn't.

"I'm heading in" Harry said. "I'll yell when lunch is ready"

"Yeah"

"Thanks"

"Tell you what Dean.." Harry turned before he reached the room. "I'll eat yours, leave a few crumbs of bread and pretend you ate it" he laughed, like Dexter hadn't seen for over a year.

Dean came over to look and rolled his eyes. "Ah." He shook his head. "If it means that much to you, I'll ...erm.... do it again" he gave the man a cheeky grin.

"I'm not worried about a clean car. It's only going to get dirty again"

"When your right your right" Dex agreed with his Dad.


	5. Told

"Dad? What's that Dad?" Sammy walked beside his Dad. Asking a question every other step.

"Bird." John answered them all with as few words as possible.

"What kind?"

Dean pulled the strap from his backpack tighter on his shoulder and shook his head. His brother asked question about all Dad's answers. Dean never asked, only answered.

"There are too kinds of bird kiddo. Loud and..."

"Tasty" Dean laughed with his father.

Sammy smiled. He was looking forward to this. His friend David, from school, had gone camping with the Scouts. There had been singing and a camp fire and they had stayed up all night telling stories. David had said it was lame. Sammy knew it wouldn't be like that tonight, but he could pretend for a little bit.

"What's that Dad?" Sammy pointed.

They stopped about two hours later. John had waited until the burn in his bad leg was verging on pain. "Not too close to the trees." He dropped his pack. "The weather being this dry, whole damn lot could catch light" he wiped his arm over his forehead.

"Yes Sir" Sammy had the cooking equipment, Dean had one of the tents.

Dean took a look round the area and choose a spot for the other tent. They had brought the Morgan's tent. The other family would join them later, probably after dark.

"Dean, you help me with this tent. Sammy, firewood." John started to unpack his tent. Sammy headed off, not quite out of sight.

Dean stretched his back. "Ow! Son of a bitch" he slapped his arm. "Damn bugs".

It was going to be a long day.

* * *

Motel / **Camp site**

"Dexter, Debby" Harry called them to the kitchen table, where Doris sat. / **"Dean, Sammy" John called.**

"You have to know something" Harry looked strained / **Picking the words was hard, "Mrs Morgan is going to die" John let it out quickly.**

"No." Debby knew deep down, something was wrong /** Dean nodded, "How?", he put a hand on his brothers shoulder.**

Doris held a hand each of Debby and Dexter "The treatments aren't working. I'm not going to get better" / **"Cancer" John answered.**

Dexter took his hand from his mothers and folded his arms around his body. Debby held her mother's hand tighter. Trying to stop her from falling / **Sammy wiped at his eye and took a deep breath.**

"You just need to take another medicine." Debby begged. / **"Is there a spell? Or a wish that can ….?" Sammy pleaded, stopping before finishing the sentence.**

"We can't fight this" Harry put his arm round his wife. / **"No. We can't." John shook his head.**

"We have time to say goodbye" Doris smiled weakly at her children and leaned into her husband. "It's more than others get" /** "How long?" Dean asked.**

**

* * *

**

The Morgan's took just under three hours to reach the campsite. Dex and Harry were a little ways ahead. Debby hadn't left her mother's side the whole walk. Numb from the news. She walked without asking questions or taking an interest in her surroundings.

"Why is Debs so quiet?" Dex asked

"People deal with bad news in different ways" Harry sped up a little. Not sure he had answers that would make sense. The boy was already motherless once. Twice was just too much. Harry stopped. He was in cop mode. Distancing himself from the pain."I'm going to need you to be strong. Help me look after Mom and Debs"

Dex let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "I'll try"

"Thank you son" Harry ruffled Dex's hair. "We're nearly there"

"How do you know?"

"Look up"

Smoke drifted through the tops of the trees in the dwindling day. It would be dark soon.

* * *

Sitting in a semi circle, John, Harry, Doris, Debs, Sammy, Dean and Dex, watched as Sammy cooked up the last batch of bacon and eggs. He tipped it onto Dean's plate. His second helping. Everyone else was still picking and their first. Debby hadn't eaten anything and from what Dean was pretending not to notice, Mrs Morgan couldn't eat.

"Thanks dude" Dean shovelled up the scrambled egg, from plate to fork to mouth.

Sammy shook his head. He leaned over to Debs "My brother is a pig"

Debs looked up and looked down at her food again. She both turned their food on the plate anti-clockwise.

"Debby. Try to eat something Sweetheart" Doris worried over her daughter.

"Not hungry"

"John. You have a budding chef in the family!" Harry set his half finished food at his feet. Shuffling it behind the folding chair he sat on. His jolly tone didn't match his face.

"Good job kiddo" John favoured his son with a smile. He used a slice of buttered bread to mop up the last of the egg. "Put the pans over there" John pointed.

Sammy nodded at Dean, who gathered the pans from around the fire. He picked up a toasting fork and handed it to Dex with bread. "Stick this near the fire." Dean said. "When it goes black, swear, don't make eye contact and start another" he picked up what he could and followed his brother to the outskirts of the camp.

Dex stabbed the slice of bread onto the fork. Held it over the flames, turning it a few times.

The toast caught light at the end of the fork. Dexter shook it off and swore under his breath. He reached over for another slice. He watched it more carefully this time. Looking towards his sister he saw a edge of a smile. When the toast turned the right shade of brown, he held it up for Dean to see.

Dean turned them so Doris couldn't see him talking, whispering he said "For your Mom, idjit." He rolled his eyes. "Here is the plan, swap it for her plate. Sit next to Debs and nudge her, gently. She'll eat, then you eat"

Dex nodded.

"Any questions?" Dean asked, as Dex started to ask the many questions he had, Dean held his hand up. "Later"

Dex sat between his Mom and sister, taking the plate and fork from her. He handed her the toast. "Can I have your Mom? I'm starving."

"Of course Honey." She smiled and bit into the toast.

"Wheres mine?" Debby asked.

"In the fire" He pushed all the bacon to his sisters plate and took all the eggs on his. Debs looked up "But you hate eggs"

"You like bacon" Dex started to eat.


	6. Camping

"It's never easy" Harry put his hand on John's arm.

"I know. But it should be" John looked at the fire morosely.

Harry sighed,"Yeah."

Dean sat up straighter next to his father, "What isn't Dad?"

"Hot chocolate." he said seriously. "The addition of four of five marshmallows. Whipped cream or no whipped cream? I give up." John threw his hands in the air. Dramatically, He turned to Sammy, "I can make explosives out of washing powder and tin foil, but ask me to add a handful of m&ms to hot stuff? My brain goes all mushy"

Sammy smiled a little. It had been a long time since he had seen his Dad in such a good mood. He grinned at Debs. A little light came back to her eyes, but dulled again as she remembered. Dean relaxed a little, he knew it was a show. To raise morale.

"Your brain is always mushy, John Winchester!" Harry teased.

John nodded. "Look at who I class as a friend" he turned to the kids "Did I ever tell you about when me and this man here were in.." he winked at Harry. Knowing the other man knew at least a dozen places they had been that this story could be.

"John" Harry warned.

John laughed at the memory. "Nebraska."

Harry thought for a second, "John..."

"For a moment there I thought that...."

"Take the hot chocolate and get out of here" Harry handed the mugs out to Dean, Dex, Sammy and Debs. "Me and my mushy brained friend are going to have a lonng talk About age appropriate stories and certain things that happen, when certain mushed brains decide, that serenading their senior officer at three in the morning, naked."

"Technically, the neck tie makes you not naked" John informed Doris, "I was arrested for busking without a licence. They confiscated my banjo."

Dean and Sammy looked at their Dad, slack jawed.

"Complain complain, I got you a new one" Harry pointed out.

"That wasn't a banjo, Harry. That was a harp and I could tell your family how THAT one ended up?"

Harry held his hands up in surrender. "OK. You win. Back away from the anecdote. No body pull the pin on any stories"

"What happened in Nebraska?" Debs asked.

"I'll tell you when you're older. Now scoot" he waved them off the other side of the camp.

* * *

"What's the matter Dean?" Sammy asked

"Nothing" Dean looked over to where Doris was laughing at Harry miming playing a banjo.

"Tell your face then" Sammy bumped his shoulder into his brother.

"Bitch" Dean nudged back with his knee.

"Jerk"

They all took a sip of hot drink and listened to the sounds of the night.

* * *

"I'm good Sammy. Just thinking" Dean put his mug at his feet and pushed a branch into the second fire they had started.

"About Mrs Morgan?" Sammy asked.

Debs flinched a little. Dex didn't react at all. Dean looked at him. Not sure what reaction he was expecting. Dex must have learned to keep his feelings from his face. Dean looked away, better not to draw attention to Dex's lack of emotion. At least until he had time to make sure people saw what the should see.

Sammy poked the fire with a long branch. "You know that we must be the only kids in the world encouraged to play with fire?"

"Yeah"

* * *

"What do you want to be when you grow up?" Debs asked Sammy.

"I am grown up." Sammy protested.

"You are very short for a grown up little brother" Dean grinned at his brother.

"Sammy Winchester. Baseball Player" Dex joined in the game.

Dean smiled at Dex. "It's Samuel Winchester" he liked to remind people what a stupid name his brother had been given. No tough as nails hunter would ever be called Samuel.

"Lawyer!" Debs exclaimed.

Sammy decided to ignore his jerky big brother "Dexter Morgan. Door to door cheese salesman.", he teased Dexter.

"Dr Morgan. Vet?" Debs looked to her brother. Then shock her head. "Maybe not". She tried again "Singer!" she decided.

"Dexy Morgan's midnight runners" Dean bust out laughing.

Dexter stood. Anger made him grit his teeth. Dean stopped laughing.

The atmosphere had got dangerous

"Dean Winchester. Foot in mouth specialist." Sammy gestured for Dex to sit. "No offence, Dude." Sammy offered the other boy his stick. "If you want to beat some manners into him? I suggest the upper part of his leg. It's where he is keeping his brain!"

Dexter sat down and took some deep breathes, as he poke the edge of the fire.

Debs almost smiled. Sammy let out a breath and shot his brother a look that said "Quit being an ass-hole"

John went still for a split second as he saw Dexter stand. The boy's body language made him protective of his children. Hopefully, Doris didn't see the flash of how dangerous John could be when his boys were threatened. He pretended to be winded from all the laughing and started on another story he was sure Harry wouldn't want told.

"Officer Deborah Morgan" Debs had wanted to go into the family business since she was four.

"Dirty Debby?" Dean mulled it over "Sounds more like a pole dancer"

"Shut up" Debs protested.

"Make me." Dean challenged.

Debs stood up, a bit quicker than her brother did. Charged at Dean. Hitting him in the ribs and pushing him off the log he was sitting on. She swung out a hand at Dean, hitting him over and over.

He hadn't expected it quite as hard.

Debs stopped hitting and started to cry. She got up and for her mother.

Doris caught and wrapped her arms around her daughter. Stroking her hair, mummering comforting nonsense. Harry stood and made towards Dean. John was moving before Harry had a chance. John covered the ground quickly.

"What'd you have to do that for, Jerk?" Sammy whispered at his brother.

Dean looked up, he sighed as he saw his Dad.

Seeing the look, Sammy took Dex by the arm. "We'd better go" they went towards the other fire.

John pulled Dean roughly up to his feet and turning so his back was to the others. "What the hell was that all about?" he growled.

Dean looked down at his feet. "Sorry Sir"

Then, so that only Dean could hear. "Did you just get beat up by a girl?" he grinned a little.

"Yes sir." Dean looked over to Debs and Doris. They were sitting together, tears drying on their faces.

"She needed a hug that bad huh?"

"Yes sir"

"Get to sleep" John raised his voice again. "You kids will be hiking back to the motel at first light"


	7. End of the day

John pretended to be increasingly grumpy at the speed of the group. Really it suited his mood. He didn't want to get where he was going. To tell his friend, how to cope with two motherless children. He didn't know how to cope. How could he tell, what he had not done himself?

He fell behind a little. He walked along side Sammy for a while, his younger son looked at him, it wasn't going to be long before the teenage years. John remembered his own father and how he had acted at that age. It was going to be bumpy.

"Double time it Sammy" he waved the boy on.

"Yes Sir" he took off past Harry and Doris. Long legs covering the ground quickly. He jogged backwards in front of Debs."I'll race you to that tree" he pointed to a large dead tree on the horizon.

Debs was running before she realised what she was doing. She stopped after three steps. Her mother had stopped at a tree, more out of breath than the short distance should have caused. Turning she could see her Dad was having one of his secret talks with John. She was old enough to hear the cop talk, so it seemed, but something about this man. It made her father push her away.

"Come on slowcoach." Sam called out.

Debs ran to catch him up.

* * *

Dean and Dexter were back at motel while the sun was still fairly low. After leaving, when they could barely see the path, they fell into a easy rhythm. Neither one taking the lead or falling behind. It would be at leasr two hours before everyone else would be back. Dean convinced Dex, the thing to do was to "borrow" the cars and go for doughnuts. He didn't take much convincing. As it turns out, his little sociopath friend had a sweet tooth.

They pulled up in to the car park in front of the small general store.

"You gotta mix it up a bit Dude" Dean grabbed some more doughnuts.

"I like the bear claws" Dex put another one in

"Good for you Grizzly Adams." Dean rolled his eyes. Dex looked at Dean, Slightly puzzled. Better than the normal dead eyes, Dean thought. He took the bear claw from Dex.

"My Dad likes sprinkles and Sammy likes the pink frosting." Dean turned, a little sugar coated his lips. He put the half eaten doughnut in the box. "Never tell him I told you that"

"Okay." Dex took a second to think. He picked up three gingerbread people. He put one back, as it was missing an arm. "Dean?"

"Yeah?"

"What do you like?" he looked at Dean and smiled a little. Waving over the selection. "I'm buying"

Dean blinked. It had been a long time since anyone had asked. Even Dex, a visitor to the human race, knew he should ask the question. His Dad would buy without asking. He always asked Sammy what he wanted. He would get it for him, even if it meant he didn't get anything.

Dean picked up the nearest pastry. Not looking at what it was. Placing it in the box with the rest.

They put the cakes and groceries in the back of the Morgan's rental car.

* * *

By the time the everyone arrived back at the motel, the rooms were emptied like they were never there. Walk softly, carry a big gun and leave nothing behind. Family motto, almost. Both cars were packed and turned towards the highway.

Doris smiled at John. She waved to Dean and Sammy, sitting in the back of the Impala. She didn't say goodbye to any of them. She made her way to the passenger seat of Harry's car. Closing the door she told her kids to buckle up.

"Harry" John looked at his friend. "You are going to have to get a few things sorted before" he stopped and closed his eyes. "before Doris is..." he swallowed the last word, like it left a bad taste, "gone"

Harry took his hand and balled it into a fist. He couldn't look at John. A world without Doris was just too dark to imagine. Even in the dark world his job took him to, it was made brighter by his wife. His children.  
"You have to visit the shrinks. Before they come at you. If they think you are coping, then you can get back on the job quicker. Keep busy." John decided to treat it like any other job. Get the job done.

"Coping?" Harry let out a breath of disbelief.

John started again. "While you are there. Pick up a few leaflets. These places are full of them. Give them to Dexter"

Harry looked confused. "What on earth for?"

John looked towards the car where Dex sat next to his sister. He had eaten half a bear claw and was offering her the other half. He gave Harry a look that said, "Think about it"

"Oh." he paled a little. He knew his son would feel it. He just couldn't show it. With a list of things to go through, the world outside wouldn't see it. His boy would be safe. Maybe. "Thanks"

Harry shook John's hand and headed for the car. He slide in behind the wheel. In his rear view mirror he saw John do the same.

As he started engine, Doris looked at him, "Are we nearly there yet?"


End file.
